To get a sense of how much deeper UCLA’s offensive line has become, look to the middle.

Or more specifically, look to the center. For two-and-a-half years, Jake Brendel took every single snap in practice. Every. Single. Snap. It wasn’t until this past spring that the redshirt junior was finally able to take a break from commanding the unit.

“That’s why he’s so far along mentally compared to everyone else, but at the same time, it takes a toll on your body,” said offensive line coach Adrian Klemm. “He was pretty beat up all last season. Now he’s trying to get his body back. You see him running around. It’s a little bit different. You start to see why it’s so important to have that type of depth.”

UCLA now has 19 offensive linemen, a group replenished by a six-man class in 2013 plus two more newcomers this year. Within the next year or two, Klemm said he wanted to have as many as 24 linemen available, with 20 of those being on scholarship. But non-scholarships players have played a role too.

“This is the first time we’ve had walk-ons,” Klemm said. “That helps a lot. We’ve got four new guys in. Those guys go down to the scout team, that means we can have some of those other guys up with us. They can learn to take reps.”

Some shifting already happened Wednesday. Starting right tackle Conor McDermott, who underwent shoulder surgery in November, was held out of practice, while starting left guard Alex Redmond left halfway through with what appeared to heat exhaustion.

That shifted left tackle Caleb Benenoch to the right side, and moved left guard Malcolm Bunche out to the edge. Listed at 6-foot-7, 327 pounds, the latter provides an unusual physical presence at left tackle. Klemm also praised Bunche’s footwork and technique, and said the graduate transfer could stay at that spot.

“If a guy tries to go straight down the middle, there’s no way to really go through him,” Klemm said. “He causes a lot of problems when he goes out there. You don’t really see guys like that, especially in our conference, where sometimes the tackles are a little more finesse. It’s a little bit different.”

As the unit’s lone senior, Bunche also provides a bit of leadership to a relatively young group. Redmond and Benenoch both started as true freshmen last season, while the battle to be starting right guard is currently between sophomore Scott Quessenberry and true freshman NaJee Toran.

Brendel, a team co-captain last season, has noticed Bunche becoming more vocal since transferring in from Miami this past spring. The age helps too.

“He’s like 28 years old or something,” Brendel joked.

He’s also noticed Bunche becoming more svelte since then, something that’s helped him look more comfortable at tackle than he did four months ago.

“Just being in this high-tempo offense, you don’t really have a choice,” Brendel said. “Either get in shape, or you die.”

Extra points

Dropping back into pass coverage on Wednesday, linebacker Myles Jack had some fun chirping at quarterback Brett Hundley: “Don’t even look this way, Brett! Don’t even look this way!” and “Hey, you’re gonna get your running back killed!” … Junior wide receiver Jordan Payton did some work inside, and said afterward that he sees it as a way to potentially get more catches. … Freshman linebacker Cameron Griffin returned to practice after injuring his left shoulder on Tuesday, but wore a sling.

Jack Wang covers the Chargers, the latest NFL team to relocate to Los Angeles. He previously covered the Rams, and also spent four years on the UCLA beat, a strange period in which the Bruins' football program often outpaced their basketball team. He is a proud graduate of UC Berkeley, where he spent most of his time in The Daily Californian offices in Eshleman Hall — a building that did not become earthquake-safe until after his time on campus.

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